The Truth of the Matter
by Michelle-Ann85
Summary: Rose Tyler was lying, when she wrote in her journal 'I didn’t snog him –more sorta kissed him.'This is the full account of the actual events of Chapter 7 of 'Discovering Rose.'


**A/N - This little plot bunny spawned itself at 5.45 yesterday _morning_ after I woke up with a whole plan for Chapter Seven of Discovering Rose!! It's the full version of events!! **

'So, been anywhere nice, Rose?'

Rose pulled herself out of her day dream as she became aware the topic of conversation had now strayed into that dangerous arena of her life with the Doctor. She gave Bev, Jackie's best mate, a nonchalant smile. 'Nowhere special.' She didn't want to talk about it, to be fair, because it still hurt, so she returned her gaze back out of the window, her tawny eyes fixed on the TARDIS.

But Bev was not to be easily deflected. 'Jackie said that Mickey had taken up travelling with you. Is he enjoying it?'

Rose blinked and flicked her attention back to Bev. 'Sorry, what?'

The brunette gave Rose a friendly, but frustrated smile. 'Mickey - he enjoying travelling with you?' She shook her head. 'Blimey, Rose, in a world of your own there, aren't you.'

'Yeah, sorry,' said Rose, quietly then decided to just say it, 'he was enjoying it.'

At this, Bev turned to face Jackie. 'What does she mean, "was?"'

Rose's mother smiled sadly. 'He won't be back for a while.'

At this, Bev raised her eyebrows and Rose felt the onslaught of questions that was heading her way. She tried to resign herself to the fact that she would have to come up with satisfactory answers and build a story that would be easy to stick to. No one had even thought about creating a cover story, because the truth, 'oh, me, the Doctor and Mickey travelled to a Parallel Earth and he decided to stay behind,' just wasn't believable, not to these people anyway.

Rose shifted in her arm chair, acutely aware that Bev's eyes were back on her. The brunette's badly plucked eyebrows were reaching up to her hairline. 'What do you mean, "He won't be back for a while?"' The woman's beady eyes were flicking between Rose and Jackie. 'You can't seriously be telling me he's shacked up with someone else, when less than two months ago he was following you around like a little lost puppy.' Bev had fixed her attention back on Rose. 'Always pining for you when you were away, he was, worrying about you and when you were gone for that year-'

Jackie stood up suddenly, Rose's year long absence, though long forgiven in some respects was still a bit of a sore point; the type of point that Rose, Jackie, Mickey and the Doctor were allowed to talk about, but no one else. 'Tea?' she asked the room over brightly.

Rose had taken the chance to avert her gaze back outside, fixing her eyes on the TARDIS, almost trying to will the Doctor to appear from the blue box and come to her rescue; then as if on cue, the tall, brown haired figure of the Doctor emerged. Even from where she was sitting, Rose could see he had his hands in his trouser pockets and that his hair was a mess. He had spent the past week repairing the TARDIS after returning from the parallel reality. Rose hadn't asked how it had been going, but judging by the fact that his moods were getting more and more optimistic by the hour, she could only assume all was going well and they would be off again soon, exploring the stars and getting lost in the cosmos.

Bev was speaking again; apparently ignorant to the fact that Rose didn't want to talk about it. 'So, yes, young lady, you can't tell me that he found someone new to shack up with.'

Rose opened her mouth to answer when the front door went and the Doctor walked in, his brown overcoat billowed out behind him. Rose looked up smiling at him.

The Doctor's cheery voice rang out though the uncomfortable silence. 'Blimey, bit breezy out there.'

Bev had turned in her seat, looking up at the Doctor. 'Ah, Rose's friend.'

Even though Rose couldn't see Bev's eyes, she knew the forty year old woman was drinking in every aspect of him, from the oil stain that was smeared across his forehead to his long fingers to his feet. Rose rolled her eyes as Bev turned to face Rose again, an approving look on her face.

'Very nice,' said Bev, as Jackie's voice drifted out of the kitchen.

'Didya want a cuppa, Doctor?'

Rose smiled, stupid question, the Doctor was not one to pass up on her mum's tea, not since Christmas anyway. The Doctor had poked his head around the kitchen door, apparently to answer Jackie and once again Bev's beady eyes were now fixed on the Doctor's backside — not that there was much to see, Rose mused, not under that coat, anyway.

Jackie's exasperated but amused voice flittered out the kitchen again. 'Yes, Doctor, I already know how you like it, now go and sit down.'

The Doctor ducked out of the kitchen and was in the process of removing his overcoat when he noticed that Bev was, not staring at him, but almost drooling. He cast Bev an amused but quizzical look. Rose thought it looked almost sympathetic.

'So what sort of Doctor are you?' crooned Bev, 'because I could think of a few things you could examine.'

Rose clapped her hands over her mouth so quickly she actually hurt herself; she screwed her eyes up to stop herself from the laughing. She was also aware that Jackie, who, judging by the sound of metal clinking against porcelain, had been stirring the tea at the time, had stopped. The Doctor was looking at Bev with nothing less than sheer shock, his mouth open; eyes Bambi wide and his eyebrows had actually disappeared into his hair line.

It took a moment, which seemed to last forever, for the Doctor to compose himself. He tore his eyes away from Bev and fixed them on Rose. His expression cried, "oh my god, I want to die and regenerate where I stand," and Rose couldn't blame him. She let her hands fall away from mouth and bit her lip, in a thoughtful but mischievous way, looking at the back of Bev's head then up to the Doctor, who now seemed to be trying to formulate a response, but was failing miraculously.

Rose sighed to herself, this had to be done. She had done far scarier things when it came to saving the Doctor; she pushed herself out of the armchair she had been curled up in and made directly for the Doctor. Grabbing his hands, Rose lifted herself up on her tip toes and pressed her cheek against his. 'Trust me, just play along — unless you want to continue being propositioned by my mum's mate.'

The Doctor pulled away from her a little so they could look each other in the eye. 'Not really, no,' he whispered.

Taking it as green, Rose let go of his hands and cupped his face, then took the plunge. She kissed gently but firmly; gently she prised his lips apart and allowed her tongue to glide over them, taking in his taste. At the same time, she felt the Doctor run his hands up her back, bringing her closer to his body.

'Oi,' yelped Jackie Tyler.

The Doctor and Rose jerked apart; their eyes met in mutual understanding. Just as Rose was turning to face her mother a towel came flying out of the kitchen, the damp material wrapping itself around Rose's face and hair. At the same moment, she heard the door go and when she removed the towel she could see why the Doctor had made such a sudden departure.

_Wuss._

Her mother looked as livid as she had when the Doctor had brought her home a year late. Rose braved a smile and reached out for the two cups of tea that were in her hand. 'Mine and the Doctor's?' she asked over brightly, before swiftly following him out the door.

However, she didn't follow him down to the TARDIS. Instead she sank down on to one of the stone steps and huddled up against the wind. Yes, she had saved the Doctor from a fate worse than death, but that did not happen as it should have — neither of them was suppose to have enjoyed it. Now, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She would have to broach the subject with the Doctor now, but also, upstairs was her mother and she was bound to be fuming. Rose rested her head against the cold stone, taking a fortifying sip of tea.

In the end, she wasn't sure how long she had been sat there; she was sipping the final dregs of the cold second cup when Bev walked past her. Thankful, the brunette didn't see her and Rose looked back in the direction of her mum's flat. No matter which way she went, she had an Oncoming Storm in either direction. She laughed at her pathetic joke and jumped up from her cold seat. On the whole, it was Jackie who was going to need sorting out first.

Rose tentatively pushed the door to her mum's flat open; she felt like a kid who had stayed out too late and was about to get a telling off. Well, the latter was probably true.

Jackie was sitting on the sofa, resolutely reading her magazine. Rose guessed she was holding back her words, but the woman looked like she was going to explode and Rose would rather Jackie get on and yell at her, rather than allow Rose to tiptoe around her.

Rose ducked into the kitchen and began pouring water in the sink to wash the amassing pile of cups, plates and cutlery.

'Most parents would be glad if there daughter brought home a doctor,' came Jackie's voice from the doorway, 'but my little girl, she goes one better, she brings home the Doctor. A time travelling alien, who is God knows how old — but he's saved the world a couple of times.'

Rose turned the taps off, before turning to face her mother. She looked calmer than she had few minutes ago. 'It's not what it looked like. I wouldn't have done it, if Bev hadn't been trying to flirt with him.'

Jackie nodded her head unconvincingly, still giving her daughter a hard look. 'We both know that's not true sweetheart. I've seen the way you two exchange glances at each other.'

'He doesn't think of me _that_ way,' protested Rose, 'and neither do I.' She added hastily, but it was too late, that knowing look had surfaced in her mother's eyes.

The look turned to sadness and Jackie came forward, she placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, looking Rose in the eye. 'You can't stay with him sweetheart — what if he changes again or meets someone else. I couldn't bear to see you heartbroken again.'

Rose broke away from her mother, and turned away, busying herself with the washing up. 'That was different and he has met someone else before- a little while ago.' Rose didn't dare look at her mum; she didn't want to see that look in Jackie's eyes. 'So, it doesn't matter what I think or feel mum, because he doesn't think about me in the same way.' Rose spun around to face her mother. 'And when I go downstairs to speak to the Doctor, that kiss will be all forgotten about and perhaps,' she continued, raising her voice and pointing her finger at Jackie, 'you should tell your mates not to hit on mine.'

Jackie looked taken aback. 'You mean, where were you if you weren't with the Doctor?'

'Sitting on the steps outside, drinking tea in peace and quiet with out getting the Third Degree from Bev about Mickey.' Rose's voice was hollow, but her eyes swam with emotion. 'So, mum, I don't need the Third Degree from you about my relationship with the Doctor, because we're not together, okay, he doesn't want me like that, we're just friends and that's as far as it goes, okay?'

The blonde girl pushed passed her mother without waiting for a reply, wiping her tears as she went. Once she was outside the flat again, she composed herself, drying her eyes on the cuffs of her jacket. This wouldn't do, she didn't want to shed any more tears over things she couldn't have. Rose ran along to the stairs and disappeared down them before her mother could follow.

Much to Rose's surprise, when she reached the TARDIS, the Doctor was not to be found in the console room, although it didn't stop her from walking around the room just to check before heading into the depths of the ship. She found him in the third place that she looked — the expansive library that took up an entire floor of the TARDIS.

She had found him reading a book in one of the armchairs; his head tilted to one side from where he was propping it up with his hand and his glasses were slight slewed. He looked pensive as his eyes flew across the page, with what seemed unnatural speed. Rose cocked her head as she watched, before taking a step back. Whatever she had to say could wait until another time. But as she got half way back down the aisle books, she turned on her heel. It really couldn't wait.

'I'm really sorry about the kissing you thingy,' she announced.

The Time Lord put his book down and straightened his head. 'Really?'

Rose faltered and stumbled over her words. 'Well, no,' she paused for a moment, 'but that's not the point, I'm still sorry.'

The Doctor had taken his glasses off now. 'Well, that's okay then, because I found the whole experience rather enjoyable.' He paused for a moment, licking his lips. 'Tasted of strawberries, the artificial stuff with just a hint of,' again he paused, looking thoughtful, 'a hint of Aloe Vera — good for the lips.'

Rose knew she was gaping at him; this time it was her, with the Bambi wide eyes and the slack jaw. However, she did manage to formulate a response. 'You've been analyzing my lip balm?'

The Doctor laughed at Rose's shocked expression as he got out of his chair. 'How could I not, my lips were covered in the stuff.' As he walked passed the stunned blonde, he licked his lips again. 'And the taste is quite good, for artificial flavouring.'

Rose's shocked expression widen as he walked away. 'But…' she stumbled over her words and then half ran to catch up with him, 'you weren't suppose to enjoy it that much, I mean you don't even think of me in that way to have enjoyed it.'

The Doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to face his flustered companion. 'Well, of course I enjoyed it, kissing is a rather enjoyable pastime but with you, it's a guilty pleasure.'

'Is that what I am to you? A guilty pleasure?'

His expression fell. 'No, you're Rose, kissing you is the guilty pleasure.' He sighed. 'It's a guilty because there are so many reasons why we shouldn't.'

Rose looked away; waves of shock were hitting her with mind blowing force. 'I had no idea.'

The Doctor rolled his eyes and sighed. 'I never pegged you for naïve, Rose.'

With those words, Rose realised that her mum had seen what she had been missing. 'Well, you're not exactly an open book, are you? Swanning off with Madame de Pompadour at the first available opportunity.'

The girl had struck a cord and she knew it, but what she wasn't sure of, was which cord she had struck. The Doctor's face was an unreadable mask, and that unnerved her, nearly as much as this conversation did. She braced herself for the onslaught.

Instead, she was surprised, when he cupped her head in his hands and brought her head to look him in the eye. 'Oh Rose, it wasn't like that.'

Despite the fact that she didn't want to, she jerked out of his grip. 'Well, that's what it felt like. You just went off and left me there, alone.'

The Doctor cocked his head to the side and gave her a long sad look. Despite the obvious hurt in her tawny eyes, she looked so beautiful; beautiful beyond her years. He reached out and stroked her cheek, wiping away the single tear that was trickling towards her mouth. 'Last few weeks, not been good have they?'

Rose had placed her hand against the Doctor's, willing the tears to stop. This shouldn't have happened. Today, nothing was happening the way it should. She surrendered herself as the Time Lord pulled her into a cuddle. She pressed her forehead into his shoulder. 'I'm sorry,' she said again, pulling away from him looking him in the eye, 'I didn't mean to get so upset, I, just…' she trailed off and the Doctor gave her a winning smile.

'All forgotten about, Rose,' said the Doctor earnestly, 'I mean, you've just lost your best friend, and you have to grieve for that.'

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and nodded her head. 'Just difficult, what with mum's friends and all asking questions about him,' she looked up at him, 'and I just don't know what to say to them, because he's not dead, but he's not coming back either.'

The Doctor laughed and Rose shot him a disgruntled look.

'Well, I highly doubt that Mickey will be the main topic of conversation after our little display earlier,' smirked the Doctor, 'which I will say again, rather enjoyable.'

Rose giggled and punched him on the arm. 'Oi, cheeky.'

'Rather liked the lip balm as well.'


End file.
